﻿FIFTH 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  I908 
  39 
  

  

  Rensselaer 
  and 
  Steuben 
  where 
  special 
  search 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  for 
  

   it. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  wherever 
  special 
  observation 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  

   of 
  chestnut 
  trees 
  they 
  have 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  good 
  health 
  

   and 
  vigor 
  and 
  unusually 
  full 
  of 
  fruit. 
  While 
  the 
  abundant 
  crop 
  

   of 
  fruit 
  may 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  exhaustive 
  of 
  the 
  vigor 
  of 
  the 
  

   trees 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  serious 
  consequences 
  of 
  

   the 
  disease 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  predicted 
  by 
  some 
  writers 
  will 
  be 
  real- 
  

   ized. 
  Very 
  destructive 
  outbreaks 
  of 
  parasitic 
  fungi 
  are 
  usually 
  

   dependent 
  on 
  unusual 
  climatic 
  conditions 
  and 
  are 
  of 
  short 
  duration. 
  

   In 
  no 
  case 
  are 
  they 
  likely 
  to 
  exterminate 
  the 
  host 
  plant. 
  

  

  Specimens 
  of 
  plants 
  sent 
  or 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  

   Botanist 
  for 
  identification 
  or 
  for 
  other 
  information 
  are 
  always 
  

   welcome, 
  for 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  not 
  only 
  is 
  the 
  desired 
  information 
  ob- 
  

   tained 
  by 
  the 
  person 
  seeking 
  it 
  but 
  also 
  interesting 
  and 
  valuable 
  

   plant 
  specimens 
  are 
  sometimes 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  museum 
  collections. 
  

   The 
  number 
  of 
  identifications 
  made 
  in 
  such 
  cases 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  is 
  

   1640. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  for 
  whom 
  identifications 
  have 
  been 
  

   made 
  is 
  127. 
  

  

  In 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  the 
  season 
  just 
  passed 
  has 
  been 
  

   strangely 
  adverse 
  to 
  the 
  mushroom 
  crop. 
  Rain 
  was 
  not 
  lacking 
  

   in 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  but 
  the 
  prevailing 
  low 
  temperature 
  

   apparently 
  prevented 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  mushrooms 
  that 
  other- 
  

   wise 
  would 
  doubtless 
  have 
  appeared. 
  Later 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  

   the 
  prevailing 
  temperature 
  was 
  more 
  favorable, 
  the 
  necessary 
  rain 
  

   and 
  moisture 
  were 
  lacking. 
  This 
  unfavorable 
  condition 
  continued 
  

   so 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  that 
  those 
  species 
  which 
  usually 
  appear 
  in 
  

   August 
  and 
  September 
  either 
  failed 
  entirely 
  to 
  appear 
  or 
  ap- 
  

   peared 
  much 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  season. 
  Reports 
  state 
  that 
  very 
  large 
  

   crops 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  mushroom, 
  Agaric 
  us 
  cam 
  pester 
  L. 
  

   have 
  appeared 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  localities 
  in 
  November. 
  This 
  is 
  nearly 
  or 
  

   quite 
  two 
  months 
  later 
  than 
  its 
  usual 
  time. 
  The 
  light 
  fall 
  rains, 
  

   which 
  were 
  unusually 
  late, 
  gave 
  the 
  mycelium 
  its 
  first 
  opportunity 
  

   to 
  develop. 
  These 
  rains 
  were 
  followed 
  by 
  exceptionally 
  fine 
  mil4 
  

   and 
  sunny 
  weather 
  which 
  was 
  very 
  favorable 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  

   and 
  spread 
  of 
  the 
  mycelium 
  or 
  " 
  spawn." 
  The 
  result 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  

   abundant 
  crop 
  of 
  mushrooms 
  in 
  those 
  places 
  where 
  a 
  rich 
  soil 
  

   aided 
  the 
  favorable 
  weather 
  conditions. 
  

  

  The 
  new 
  species 
  and 
  varieties 
  of 
  fungi 
  described 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  

   Botanist 
  are 
  now 
  so 
  numerous 
  and 
  the 
  periodicals, 
  reports 
  and 
  

   bulletins 
  containing 
  these 
  descriptions 
  are 
  so 
  many 
  and 
  so 
  scat- 
  

   tered 
  and 
  the 
  inquiries 
  concerning 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  one 
  and 
  another 
  

  

  